Morehead State senior Chase Ratliff set the 5K school record, and the women's team saw all five runners in the 5K establish personal bests as both Eagle track teams competed at the Kentucky Relays on Saturday (April 19).
Head Coach Brent Ericksen utilized an abbreviated squad size for this event.
Ratliff, a native of Pikeville, Ky., broke teammate Jesse Moreno's school record by two seconds, finishing second among 32 racers with a time of 14:40.91. Moreno's previous mark was established just three weeks ago at the Raleigh Relays.
Sophomore Alex Morris led the Eagle quintet in the 5K race. She finished eighth overall among 30 competitors with a personal-record 17:45.81. Freshman Mackenzie Butler followed shortly after with her personal-best of 18:10.33. Sophomore Erica Parks crossed the finish line in 18:17.88, while freshmen Hannah Bailey (18:46.63) and Haley Mullins (18:57.70) each set personal standards as well.
The women's top-five 5K times in 2014 are all now 18:18 or faster.
Middle distance specialist Desmond Bell won his heat of the 800-meter race with a time of 1:52.11, a season-best. Bell has now won his heat of the 800-meter run three times in 2014.
Women's sophomore Jasmyn Andrews participated in her first career mile run, clocking a 5:18.32. One mile equals 1,609 meters.
Next on the schedule is the Drake or Penn Relays next weekend. A limited number of MSU runners will look to qualify for those prestigious track and field events.
A majority of the team members will now train for the next two weeks to prepare for the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, which are slated for May 2-3 in Edwardsville, Ill.
